May 2011
Ghulam Akbar Malik- He found the valuable manuscript of the Quran, dating back to the 12th century, during an excavation trip to the Pakistani city of Jhelum. Malik came across the 900 year old manuscript in the salt range and its adjacent territory that has been home to many archaeological discoveries. This 900-year-old manuscript is written on Papyrus, which was first invented and used by the Chinese before the invention of modern paper.As per the Malik, this ancient script of the Quran has been written by Sirajuddin abu Tahir Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Abdur Rasheed during the 12th century.
Ajit Kumar Seth, A 1974 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre was appointed the Cabinet Secretary of India. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared the appointment. Prior to being appointed as Cabinet Secretary, he served as Secretary, Public Grievances and Co-ordination in the Cabinet Secretariat. Seth will serve for fixed two year tenure. He succeeded K M Chandrashekhar who is due to retire in June 2011.
Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri-Eminent harmonium player and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri died in New Delhi on early morning on 25 May 2011. He was introduced to harmonium at an early age of 11 and went on to train with the masters of Dilli Gharana, including Ustad Nasir Ahmad Khan.Dholpuri regularly accompanied the most prominent vocalists of India, namely Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Girija Devi and Pandit Jasraj.
Chidananda Dasgupta - Renowned film critic, historian and a pioneer of the film society movement in India, Chidananda Dasgupta, died on 22 May 2011. Father of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen, he was born in Shillong in 1921The. In 1947, Chidananda, along with Satyajit Ray and Hari Sadhan Dasgupta, founded the Calcutta Film Society. More than a decade later, the Federation of Film Societies of India was set up on his initiative. He is credited as one of the early pioneers who carved a space for serious film criticism in India.